MPH: Mark Hughes on...

Blind spots and loopholes

Now most of the new cars have broken cover, so the arguments begin. As each team has had the chance of looking at how their rivals have interpreted the 2009 aero rules, so they discover loopholes that they themselves either a) overlooked, or b) considered, but ruled out as illegal. So heated discussions are breaking out on all manner of interpretations, and FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting is likely to be particularly harassed.

This hasn't happened in recent years because the regulations were so well defined, with all the wrinkles ironed out. The new ones are by definition a little more fuzzy, and the teams are challenging the new boundaries in their attempts to steal slivers of lap time.